


Never a Burden

by a_c_perky



Series: Pepper Potts: Mom of the Year [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Irondad, Mentioned May Parker (Spider-Man), Panic Attacks, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper potts is a good mom, Peter Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Has a Family, Poor Peter Parker, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Tony Stark Has A Heart, may parker isn't great, pepper potts mom, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 20:24:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18059462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_c_perky/pseuds/a_c_perky
Summary: Peter Parker found a father when he moved in with Tony and Pepper after the war, but even though Pepper sees him as a son, he can't help but feel as if he were nothing but a burden to her...***I absolutely LOVE mom Pepper Potts so this is like an appreciation towards her.ENJOY!





	Never a Burden

**Author's Note:**

> I love the mother- son relationship with Pepper and Peter as much as I love the father- son duo that is Peter and Tony. This is the first of a series of one shots of parental Pepper Potts with Peter. I hope you enjoy!

Peter scrambled across the field, swinging to and fro to catch everyone as the destroyed planet crashed around them.  
All of a sudden, Peter heard a sickening noise below, and when he looked down, he saw Tony- his dad- getting stabbed by the evil grape himself.

 

"NO!"

He swung as fast as he could, and landed in front of his mentor.

 

"Dad, you're okay, you're going to be okay."

Tony responded by coughing up blood and giving him a look that read run.  
Peter then felt a giant hand place itself surprisingly gently atop his head.

 

"It will be over for him shortly. A small price to pay for balance."

"No! Not him! Take me instead!"

Before the Titan could respond, Tony rasped out,   
"Ignore the kid, Barney. He's a child, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Take me."

 

Thanos replied, "As you wish. You have my respects, Stark.”  
He then gripped Peter’s middle, and lifted him in the air, out of Tony’s way.

“NO! Stop it! Dad, you’re wrong! Let him take me!”

“It’s okay, kiddo. You’ll be okay. Take care of Pep for me,” he comforted with an attempted smile. 

“I hope they remember you,” Thanos spoke as he aimed his gauntlet at Tony.

“I know your child will.”

“NO!”’

***

“NO!” Peter shouted as he shot up from bed. He panted for a few seconds, then darted out of his bed and into the room next to his.  
He barged the door open, and two figures shot up at the ruckus.

“Pete?” Tony grumbled out.

“Tony!” He breathed out as he ran up and barreled into his father- figure’s arms.  
“You’re okay!” He sobbed out. “Please don’t leave me, please dad.” 

“I’m not going anywhere, son. It was just a nightmare, don’t worry,” he responded after his brisk recovery of the fact that Peter had finally called him ‘dad.’ 

“Titan-he, he’s going to kill you and-”

“Shhh,” Tony interrupted as he snaked his hand through his son’s curls.  
“Titan’s over. We’re home, and we’re safe. He won’t get us.” 

Peter finally seemed to calm down after his sobs died down. He then felt a soft hand rubbing circles on his back, and heard a soft voice whisper, “Everything will be alright sweetie, we promise.”

When Peter was completely calmed down, he sat up and said, “I- I can go back to my bed now, S-sorry for bugging.” 

Just as he shifted to get out of the bed, Tony gently grabbed his wrist and pulled him back towards him. 

“Nuh uh. You’re staying here, spider- baby. Irondad will help you feel better,” he joked.

Peter smiled and crawled back into bed, laying his head on his dad’s chest when he got comfortable.

“I’ll go sleep in the other room,” Pepper Offered As she climbed out of the bed. “You sure? We have plenty of room,” Tony suggested. 

“No, it’s fine. Peter needs his space to breathe anyway.

Peter’s head dropped. ‘She’s leaving because of me’ 

“Goodnight, boys.” She said as she left the room.

“Night, Honey,” Tony responded.

Peter felt awful. He made her leave her own room because of his childish nightmares. After all, she’s so sweet to him.

Motherly, almost. 

No, he couldn’t think like that and get his hopes high. No matter how much the idea of having a mom and a dad appealed to him, he was selfish. He took her bed, her home, Tony.   
He couldn’t ask for her as well. 

This was his final thought as he drifted off to sleep. 

***

When Peter awoke, he felt his head cushioned comfortably against Tony’s chest, ahad carding through his hair.   
He then recalled the events of the previous night, and his first instinct was to immediately start apologizing for the trouble and for calling him the ‘d’ word. 

But, if Tony didn’t want Peter here, why was he willingly cuddling with him? 

As he was pondering this, Tony noticed Peter was awake and said,   
“Hey, Junior. Finally woke up I see.

Peter yawned and replied, “Barely. M’ still tired, dad.”

“Hey, you did it again!”

Peter was confused for a moment, then bashfully shoved his face into Tony’s chest again.

“About time, too. You’ve only been adopted for 2 whole weeks now.” 

Peter looked up at Tony with large eyes that made his heart stutter. 

“So you don't mind if I call you that? Dad?” 

Tony responded by placing a kiss on his head and whispering into his hair, “Never have, son, and never will.”

Peter skiles and snuggled even closer to Tony. He could stay like that forever. 

His stomach then decided it would be a good time to grumble.

Damn it. 

“Alright, Spiderson, time for breakfast.”

“Mm. Ok.”

They climbed out of bed with Peter shuffling lazily out of the room. 

As soon as he stepped out, the aroma of fresh eggs, crackling bacon, and cinnamon rolls filled him, so he walked a little bit faster into the kitchen. 

When they entered, they saw Pepper in her formal suit, with an apron that read ‘Don't Mess With The Cook,’ and had a picture of a pan next to a pair of high heels. Suited her quite well. 

But that was the moment Peter remembered that May got that for Lepper as a wedding present.   
His heart hurt for a moment, but only briefly, for he was getting better. 

“You boys have finally arose from the dead, I see.”

“Yep. The smell of bacon lured us here,” Tony responded as he gave her a peck on the lips.

“Well, it's all finished so help yourselves.”

She took off her apron and proceeded to walk to Peter.

“Hey, honey. Sleep better?” She asked softly.

“Y- yes ma'am. By the way, sorry for making you leave last night. That was selfish-”

“I'm going to stop you right there,” she smiled exasperated as she cupped both sides of his face. 

He involuntarily leaned into the touch, and mentally cursed himself for doing so, for who would want some dumb kid trying to act like their son when they were just thrown into their lives?  
Little did he know that her heart melted a little when he did so. 

“I didn't mind at all. You needed comfort from Tony, and I gladly gave you space. You're not just Tony's priority anymore, you're mine too. You understand? 

“Y- yeah.”

She shared with him another smile, and ruffled his hair before walking away. 

It ached how much he wanted her to be his mother. But, she wouldn't want someone like him, a burden, who (in her words) is now her priority as well as her kid. He knew that even though Tony sees him as a kid, Pepper never will. 

He pushed the thoughts away as he grabbed a plate and started to pile a large amount of food onto it. He sat down next to his father figure and gobbled down the delicious breakfast, quickly receiving an amused eye roll from Tony.

When he was finished, he was still quite hungry, and as if he had read his son's mind, Tony told him, “Get as much as you need. A growing Spiderling is a healthy spiderling.” 

Peter rolled his eyes with a smirk and got up to pile the rest of the food onto his plate. He quickly munched that down too, finally satisfied. 

Pepper walked back into the kitchen, filles in her hand, and walked to the stove which held empty dishes. 

“C'mon, Tony. You really couldn't save at least one cinnamon roll for me?”

Peter's heart sank. He thought she had her food already. 

“A-actually I ate it P- pepper. I'm really sorry, I thought you finished it I'll-”

“Pete, I'm not upset at all. You have a fast metabolism, and that's understandable. I forgot about it, so I'll just grab something on the way there,” she said with a small smile.

“Hey, love of my life, why did I get fussed at when you thought I did it?”

“Because he is really sweet and bearable, whereas you are not.” She stated amusedly as she kissed the top of her fiance's head. She walked into the elevator and called out to them, “Bye guys, I’ll see you two later.”

All Peter could think about, though, was the fact that he stole his mo- Pepper’s breakfast and, yet again, was an inconvenience

*** 

When Peter sat down in his first hour class, Flash went up to his desk and asked calmly, “So, how’s the ‘internship’ going? Oh wait, it’s fake. I actually sent in my application, so it’s only a matter of time before I’m accepted. Even if you applied, no one would want an orphaned loser like you as an intern.”

Peter opened his mouth to retort, but snapped it shut quickly when he realized he had nothing to argue about. Everything he said was true. After all, he was orphaned loser. If the May incident already didn’t staple that into his brain…

“I think they’d much rather an orphaned lose than a greasy coward such as yourself. So scram,’ peter vaguely heard Michelle’s voice blankly threaten.  
“Parker, you good?”

He was too busy trying to get his breathing under control to notice exactly what she was asking, because what if Pepper really didn’t want an orphaned loser but just pitied him? Is that the only reason she was letting him stay with them and not tell Tony to get rid of him? He doesn’t want to ruin her life.

His breathing worsened from there, and the last thing he heard before he blacked out was someone shouting to call the front office.

***

When Peter awoke, he was lying on a cheap cot in the school office.

‘Flash will never let me hear the end of this,’ he though miserably. He then heard the familiar ‘click clack’ of high heels steering in his direction.  
Crap. 

The door opened, and Pepper briskly made her way towards him. 

“Peter, honey. I heard about what happened, and Tony had a meeting with the Avengers, so I came instead. Are you alright now?” Pepper fretted as she brushed his bangs back.

“Y- yeah I’m all good now.” He vaguely answered. 

“Are you sure? Is your breathing better?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you’re coming home because I’m not too convinced.”

“What? N- no, you don’t need to. Again, I’m fine,” Peter argued. She was already missing work for him. Pepper didn’t need to babysit him.

“Peter. You look like you are about to conk out any second. This isn’t up for discussion.” She told him sternly. 

Truth be told he did feel pretty exhausted. He always felt drained after a panic attack. 

“O- okay. Let’s go.”

“Good. I already asked them to contact Ned to gather your things.”

‘How is is always 3 steps ahead?’

“Okay, cool,” he said as he wobbly stood up.”

“Do you need any help?”

“No, I’m good.” He then proceeded to trip and almost fall on his face.

She quickly wrapped her arm around his shoulders, steadying him.

“Yeah, you totally had that. You’re getting just as bad as tony is with independency. Like father like son, I suppose,” She joked with a warm smile in his direction. 

***

On the ride home, Pepper ordered from their favorite Thai restaurant to ‘help his recovery.’ So not long after they arrived at the tower, the food arrived.

That gave Pepper enough time to help Peter set up a comfortable spot on the couch, insisting even after the many reassurances of ‘I can do this on my own.’   
She passed him a good 4 containers of sweet and sour chicken and noodles, and curled up next to him with her container of broccoli and beef with noodles.

There was a semi- comfortable silence for about 3 minutes, which Peter thought was alright. 

Until Pepper broke said silence, asking as casually as if she were asking him the weather, “So, are you going to share with me the chat that triggered you panic attack?”

Peter froze and looked up at her with big eyes. 

“I help Tony with his own more often than he would like to admit, so I know how they work. I also know that it is way better to talk about it.” 

Peter knew he couldn't tell her what was really going on, so he instead said,   
“Some guy was messing around with me, and something he said must have reminded me of Titan too much.”

He thought that would satisfy her, until she responded, “Hmm. You answered that way too quickly. It takes at least a few minutes for your dad to open up. And if you really are anything like him…”

“I’m fine, really. You don’t need to bother yourself with me anyway,” he responded a little harshly. 

“No, you’re not! What got you so bad that you won’t tell me what happened?”

“Because I’m nothing but a stupid, orphaned bother to you!” He shouted. 

As soon as it came out, though, he looked like he even surprised himself by saying that.

“I- I didn’t mean-”

“Peter, you have never been a burden to me or to Tony. Why would you think that, sweetheart?” Pepper asked, shocked and confused.

Taking a shaky breath, Peter decided to finally confront what has been bothering him for quite sometime now.

“When I had that nightmare last night, I kicked you out of your bed and away from your husband. A few weeks ago, I barged in on date night and ruined it for you. I ate all your breakfast this morning,” Peter’s throat had a lump in it at, and tears brimmed his eyes as he continued, “and when Flash said I was an orphaned loser earlier, I realized that he was right. M- May sure thought so.” Peter let a small sob out as a few tears trickled down his cheeks. 

“After she k- kicked me out, dad helped make me feel like I actually belong in a family again, and I thought that would mean y- you would be like a m- mom to me- you are like a mom to me, but I’ve just been nothing but a burden to you.” He finished with a heart wrenching sob. 

Pepper pulled him close into her as he continued to cry. She was honestly just surprised he kept all of this bottled up. He had never been a burden to her. 

When Peter calmed down, he pulled away and swiped his remaining tears away with ihs hand. 

“Y- you can go now. I’m sorry for weirding you out. I- I promise I won’t bug-”

“Peter.” Pepper interrupted with a sharp tone, which definitely got his attention. She cupped his face with both hands, as she had done earlier, and gave him a kind, yet sad smile. 

“I want you to listen closely: you are most certainly not an orphaned loser. What happened with May was cruel, but led you to us. I haven’t seen Tony this happy in years. And you are not a burden to me. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I have been seeing you as a son almost immediately after you moved in with us.”

Peter’s eyes bulged at her, which made her heart melt further.

“R- really?”

“Yes, honey. And about your ‘problems,’ you taking my food is the least of my worries. You’re a growing boy and need food. Date night? I honestly preferred out pseudo- family night. And about the bed situation, sweetie, if you need to sleep with either of us we can make room. Understand?” she asked as she cleared off his tear- streaks with the pads of her thumbs. 

“Yeah. So, you don’t mind me being around?”

‘This child…’

Pepper pulled Peter close again and kissed the crown of his head.

“Of course not, baby.” Pepper whispered.

Peter melted in her arms, and they lied down on the couch, curled up with each other. She cupped his head to her shoulder, and received an approving hum of contentment from Peter. “Thanks, mom.”  
Pepper’s heart stuttered from her new title as she answered, “Anytime, son.” 

***

When Tony arrived back from his meeting, he was met with on of the best sights he had ever seen: his wife and son, asleep with one another, with content looks on their faces. He smiled.

“Fri, take a pic of this for me. This is going to give me SERIOUS dad bragging rights to Clint and Scott.”


End file.
